Adam West offered the role of Bond...
crawfordboon
Posts: 126MI6 Agent
Though it seems highly ludicrous now, "Batman" star Adam West was offered the role of Bond in the late 1960s when Sean Connery left the series. Initially I laughed, but then if you think of West (maybe with a reasonably-English accent), he could have been great in the role, in the same tongue-in-cheek flippant humour style as the later Moore films.
OHMSS with West, a less serious plot and a breezier, less 'Fleming' tone, would have been a brilliant movie. And though I liked Connery in DAF, West would have been suited to that movie without even changing anything. I have a feeling people are going to hate this idea but for me West had a light touch and would be suited, as Moore was, to playing to a campier style production, in a role with less 'emotion', or 'depth' (as seen in TLD or CR, for instance).
This would return Bond to where it has had its finest successes, i.e. the flamboyant, comic book escapism, with unflappable colourful characters, like YOLT or TSWLM.
On a side issue, has anybody else come across any at-first strange ideas that with some thought end up appearing quite attractive?
OHMSS with West, a less serious plot and a breezier, less 'Fleming' tone, would have been a brilliant movie. And though I liked Connery in DAF, West would have been suited to that movie without even changing anything. I have a feeling people are going to hate this idea but for me West had a light touch and would be suited, as Moore was, to playing to a campier style production, in a role with less 'emotion', or 'depth' (as seen in TLD or CR, for instance).
This would return Bond to where it has had its finest successes, i.e. the flamboyant, comic book escapism, with unflappable colourful characters, like YOLT or TSWLM.
On a side issue, has anybody else come across any at-first strange ideas that with some thought end up appearing quite attractive?
Comments
I think John Gavin was a generally very wooden actor, with a boomy American voice, and would have been staid and unsuited to Bond.
As for Burt Reynolds, it's a fantastic prospect, but I think that Roger Moore essentially did an upper class English version of the Reynolds persona. I can't see him in the part but given hsi track record of making greatly entertaining pictures, it coudl well have worked.
West has a lengthy sequence as Bruce Wayne looking very Bond-like in his tux.
And check out the fight he has with some goons...an impressive punch-up with West showing some real Bondian style.
Could he have played 007? Judging from this sequence...he could have been an interesting choice.
"World domination. Same old dream."
Ian Ogilvy had the potential to be a very good Bond. It's not difficult to see why he was chosen to play Simon Templar in The Return Of The Saint. He had many of the same qualities as Roger Moore. At the time, it appeared as though he may well be Roger's natural successor as Bond. Alas, The Return Of The Saint was shortlived and Ogilvy never really recovered from it.
As for Adam West as Bond? If he was offered the role then he made absolutely the right decision. Having said that, he was an absolutely wonderful Batman.
As for Ian Oglivy, I also thought he would make an interesting James Bond; his physical semblance to a young Roger Moore was pretty uncanny and he showed a good range in the various roles I saw him in - he was hilarious in Death Becomes Her. A few years ago I remember seeing a soft drink commercial with Oglivy that was set up as something of a James Bond spoof: he and a villainous type tried to one up each other at identifying exotic foods and beverages. Even though he was much older, he still definitely looked the part in the tux.
BTW...there is no bigger fan of the 60's Batman show than me.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
I'm sorry, but that would have been...horrible.
I'd say most of my fave Bond films ARE the more serious ones, perhaps parts of Goldfinger and Octopussy are the only exceptions to that rule in my top 10. For me, the more comedy and excess that is poured into the film, the weaker it gets- a la Moonraker, Man With The Golden Gun and Die Another Day (the excess part anyway).
Me neither! The more I watch the film the more I enjoy his performance and realize that he was simply a diamond in the rough who never got a chance to develop.
Oglivy, I've seen some of return of the saint and I agree he could have been good as Bond.
but Rupert Everett? he has the god looks of James Bond, but he as a person annoys me and I would have hated to see him as James Bond.
Did anyone see Comic Relief does the apprentice, where is was found out that Everett has a fear of Cameras?
The best Bond that never was for me is Lewis Collins, no question. I think he had it all- just check out 'The Professionals' or 'Who Dares Wins' for ample evidence. They did a poll in a UK newspaper of who the public would have liked to have succeeded Roger in the 80s- at number 1 was Pierce Brosnan but Lewis was the only other contender in that poll, really.
I guess this would be up there with Christopher Walken almost being Han Solo...seems strange but maybe it would have worked. But I am glad how things turned out, in both cases. And we are talking about several of my absolute favourite characters here.
I also love the West Batman. He was very dead-on for the style of what they were doing. And some Batman fans criticize its campiness, where I see all they were doing was spoofing what was going on in the comics at the time, and in fact by overplaying, pushing it to its limits, it I think that ironically they helped usher in the grimmer era of Batman that has been going since, as recently evinced (excellently IMO) in Batman Begins.
Sorry, back to Bond now, LOL.
That whole movie was pretty hilarious. I always liked the scene where Batman fends off the shark: "Robin! Pass the 'Bat' Shark Repellent!" And Robin hands him this aerosol can. lol
Whoa. I never heard about that. I can't even imagine anyone other than Harrison in that role.
West as Batman = sublime. West as Bond? Uh...no.
hahaha awesome.
"No use, Joker! I knew you'd employ your sneezing powder, so I took an Anti-Allergy Pill! Instead of a SNEEZE, I've caught YOU, COLD!"
"Naturally you didn't know I was wearing my special Super B long thermal underwear."
"Plenty of girls and bands and slogans and lots of hoopla, but remember, no politics. Issues confuse people."
"Shame: You big sissy, you couldn't drive nails in a snow bank.
Batman: Why would I want to?"